Alliance for the Great Lakes

Description & History

The Great Lakes hold 20% of the earth's surface freshwater, have over 10,000 miles of shoreline, and provide drinking water to 40 million people. Threatened by climate change, nutrient pollution, invasive species, unsustainable decision making and lack of engagement of its residents, the Great Lakes require a strong voice advocating for their protection. The Alliance for the Great Lakes and its supporters are that voice— locally, regionally, and nationally.

The Adopt-a-Beach program, one of our largest programs, involves more than 15,000 volunteers who clean up and monitor more than 350 coastal sites on all five of the Great Lakes and in all 8 surrounding states. From picking up thousands of pounds of trash to restoring many acres of vital dune habitat to collecting data that has influenced state and federal lakes policy, the Adopt-a-Beach program shows time and again that local action can have a big impact.

Adopt-a-Beach is about community, and we want you to be a part of it! Join us and thousands of Great Lakes lovers to keep our beaches beautiful.